Teen Dog Whisperers at Hadassah Neurim Youth Village in Israel Operate Canine Rescue Program

NEW YORK - Jan. 25, 2018 - PRLog -- Teen Dog Whisperers at Hadassah Neurim Youth Village Have Life-Changing Experience Through Canine Rescue Program

The young couple near Haifa thought it would be fun to adopt two huskies, one female and one male.  But those beautiful, intelligent dogs aren't easy to train. They're pack animals and if they're not following a leader, they can cause a lot of turmoil.  The couple's life turned to chaos. They wanted the dogs out. And they weren't alone. Huskies Luna and Tommy were rejected by two families and one dog shelter despite their good looks when they were taken in at the new dog shelter at Hadassah-Neurim.

Hadassah-Neurim is Hadassah's Youth Village near Netanya. Children were initially transferred there when the Ben Shemen village near today's Ben Gurion Airport came under fire during the War of Independence.  Over the last 70 years, tens of thousands of children at risk have found a home there, from the first teens running away from Hitler to children today from immigrant backgrounds and difficult home life. Four hundred teens go to school there, ninety percent living on the campus.  About twenty-give percent are from Ethiopian backgrounds, and forty percent from the Former Soviet Union.

The system for taking care of dogs at Hadassah-Neurim is group therapy, based on the work of famed "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Milan. The Cesar Milan method is built on exercise, discipline and affection with clear boundaries in being rehabilitated from their aggression.

Hadassah's "Cesar" is Razel Feinstein. Feinstein, a dog trainer par excellence, is instructing trainers at Hadassah-Neurim students, both in the classroom and in the dog shelter

The two huskies now share their shelter room with two other troubled dogs. Nazir, Hebrew for priest, is a black and white Canaan dog, a breed that is considered native in this region. He has the classic curled tail of a Canaan, and was wild, aggressive, and very noisy. It's not known if he was ever domesticated before a dog-catcher nabbed him on the streets of Rishon Letzion. "He was probably captured by a man because he has a fear of men," says Feinstein

The fourth dog, Dror, is a handsome mutt, who also lived on the street before coming to Hadassah-Neurim. He was on the equivalent of death row at a city shelter because no one could tame him. He had bitten a grown man to unconsciousness.

No cuddly lapdogs these, the students at Hadassah-Neurim are determined to heal and save these unruly animals. One dog-training class of 12 students is made of newcomers to Israel from the former Soviet Union who are part of the Na'aleh program where teens come to Israel to study on their own. These teens are far from home, their parents and siblings, explains Feinstein, and are enthusiastic about taking on the challenge of working with dogs who eventually return affection despite a challenging start.

"At first, they were frustrated when the dogs wouldn't come to them," says Feinstein. "But now, with training, they are successful. You can see the teens standing taller, their heads held high, and gaining confidence. They proudly walk the dogs through the village, where quite a few students are terrified of dogs. This has raised their social status among the students." In addition to these students, five Hadassah-Neurim volunteers spend all their spare time with the dogs

Among them is Avi, a new 10^th grader who comes from the southern town of Dimona. He's become best friends with Lidor from Kfar Saba, a youngster who had been living with his elderly grandfather because of a difficult home situation. They were lonely and fearful when they first came to the village, but they are not lonely anymore.

But the sight of the students walking big dogs along the beachside perimeter of Hadassah-Neurim is new.

Four months into the training, the dogs' behavior is unrecognizable, says Feinstein. "The students are different, too" she says. "You can see they have more confidence. They are integrating better into the fabric of the village."

The shelter, built by village security chief Yehudah Sivan on his vacation, opened at the beginning of the 2017-2018 school year in September. Feinstein is considering keeping the huskies who have now taken on pack discipline in a way that will help other dogs. Nazir and Dror will be returned to their original shelter that deals with adoption when they are ready.  "We're not in a hurry," she says. "We have to find the right homes for them this time." Feinstein hopes to house up to ten dogs at a time once she has fully trained her cadre of teenaged dog whisperers.

There are other animals at Hadassah-Neurim in the Petting Zoo, also run by Feinstein.  There's a bunny hutch, tall emus and South American ring-tailed coatis, members of the raccoon family. Students also help take care of these animals.

Hadassah, the Women's Zionist Organization of America, Inc. (HWZOA) is the largest Jewish women's organization in the United States. With 330,000 members, associates and supporters Hadassah brings Jewish women together to effect change and advocate on critical issues such as medical care and research and women's empowerment.  Through the Hadassah Medical Organization's two hospitals, the world-renowned trauma center and the leading research facility in Jerusalem, Hadassah supports the delivery of exemplary patient care to over a million people every year. HMO serves without regard to race, religion or nationality and earned a Nobel Peace Prize Nomination in 2005 for building "bridges to peace" throughequality in medical treatment. For more information, visit www.hadassah.org.